Most of the time when I read to my children I doze off and one of them has to tug on my beard, I didn't with this book because the storyline was engaging and moved along at a good pace, and there were just enough pictures to let me rest my voice before continuing on. Also, it was nice to read about a much more innocent time in a place not far from where my ancestors came from.

The kids liked the characters and setting, a family with 4 children and a dog in 1930's rural Ireland. They let me do voices which they also liked. The misadventures they get into are hilarious and are the result of childhood innocence not mean spirited like a lot of newer books.